Tips for Collecting Movie Memorabilia

Whether you adore the cinema or have inherited a collection of movie posters and celebrity autographs, collecting movie memorabilia can be both fun and profitable. The wide world of movie memorabilia includes everything from movie posters to Oscar statuettes, and has engaged thousands of collectors. Unfortunately, it also has attracted more than its share of con artists and swindlers. If you’re going to be a savvy shopper with a valuable collection, it’s important to follow some simple advice from experienced collectors of Hollywood memorabilia.

Focus

It’s easy to get distracted when you’re collecting items in such a wide field, but the most valuable collections – and those that are the most fun to pursue – are those that have a strong focus. Your focus can be on a particular genre of film, a particular franchise, a specific actor or a type of collectible, but the focus will help you build a meaningful collection. Keep in mind that the popularity of a film doesn’t necessary translate into value – but value isn’t the only reason for collecting movie memorabilia. If you love Jack Sparrow, you’ll want a Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest to fill out your collection of Pirates movie posters.

Check the Signatures

Old time Hollywood autographs are notorious for being fakes – not so much because of unscrupulous sellers and forgers, but because it was typical for the film industry to employ secretaries for the specific purpose of signing “celebrity” autographs. Modern movie star autographs are more likely to have been signed by the star. Even so, it’s always a good idea to have the signature authenticated by an expert.

More than a Certificate of Authenticity

While it’s nice to have a Certificate of Authenticity, the COA is only as good as the certifying authority. If you’re buying from a dealer, research his company’s reputation before buying any movie memorabilia, and avoid those dealers with a poor reputation. In addition, ask about the item’s provenance, or history. Items that include a letter from an expert or a list of previous owners will always have more value than those that have nothing but a “Certificate of Authenticity.”

Avoid Restoration

If you get your hands on a genuine Star Wars poster or James Bond poster in less than pristine condition, don’t try to restore it or get it restored. Restoration used to be popular, particularly where movie posters are concerned. These days, collectors are more interested in authenticity, including all the blemishes the piece of movie memorabilia may have acquired over the years. Prevent further damage with good framing and storage, but don’t attempt any restoration.

Movie memorabilia is a popular hobby, and shows like “Storage Hunters” and “Storage Wars” are making it even more popular. If you decide you want to take up collecting, take precautions to make sure everything you buy is authentic.

Celebrity Autographs: The Heart and Soul of Sports and Movie Memorabilia

Celebrity autographs and autographed photos have long been a staple in the area of movie memorabilia and autographed sports memorabilia. Signed photos, tickets, sports equipment and movie props are – and have always been – among the most popular collectibles, and that hasn’t changed at all over the years. An original Star Wars poster is a prized piece of Hollywood memorabilia. An original Star Wars poster signed by Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford or Mark Hamill – or better yet, all three – is far more desirable and worth much more. Among collectors of sports memorabilia, the Holy Grail is a ball actually used in a game and signed by a sports hero that handled that ball. In short, an authenticated autograph makes everything so much better.

The Value of Celebrity Autographs

But just how much does that signature add to the value of a piece of memorabilia? In a 2012 episode, “Storage Wars” regular Barry Weiss (“The Collector”) scores a set of Ludwig drums in a storage locker. He takes them to Stewart Copeland of Police fame to have them evaluated. Copeland tells him he can probably sell the entire kit for about $1,000. Weiss whips out a pen and, with a wink, tells Copeland that he knows how he can make them worth a whole lot more. With Copeland’s signature on each piece of the kit, Weiss figures he can triple the value, at least. And, considering the drum kit was featured in an episode of the popular show, you can figure that it would fetch considerably more if it came up at auction.

The Most Popular Autographed Sports Memorabilia

The sport memorabilia industry has come a long way since the days your grandfather waited outside the stadium for his favorite sports hero clutching a treasured trading card. Today, you’ll find sports celebrity autographs on a variety of sports-related equipment, and those celebrity signing events put a lot of cash into the pockets of the sports franchises. It also means that it’s far easier to score autographed sports memorabilia connected to your favorite sports stars. You’ll find autographed game jerseys – framed and in displays – among football memorabilia and basketball memorabilia, autographed baseballs for baseball memorabilia enthusiasts and signed hockey sticks for those who collect hockey memorabilia.

Whether you’re looking for ideas for a man cave, home theater décor or simply collect memorabilia because you love sports or movies, celebrity autographs are among the most popular types of movie memorabilia and autographed sports memorabilia on the market.

Five Ways to Use Movie Memorabilia and Autographed Sports Memorabilia in Your Home

You didn’t even know you were looking for it, but there it is – an absolutely stunning display of movie memorabilia that you didn’t know you wanted until you saw it. It may be that vintage Star Wars poster or a display of autographed sports memorabilia – including baseballs signed by Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. Whatever it is, now that you’ve seen it, you just have to have it. The only question is where you should put it when you get it home. No worries! There are all sorts of ways to fit movie memorabilia and autographed sports memorabilia into your home décor.

Game Room Décor

The most obvious place to display autographed sports memorabilia is in your game room. No matter your favorite sport, you’re bound to find sports memorabilia connected with it. You can hang framed celebrity autographs in a spot of honor on the wall or place a display of hockey memorabilia behind the – what else – air hockey table. You’ll even find horse racing memorabilia, such as a signed Secretariat photo, that you can hang behind the bar to lend the place a little extra class.

Ideas for a Man Cave

Looking for ways to decorate that man cave? Autographed sports memorabilia totally fills the bill. Depending on the items you choose, you can display your sport memorabilia in frames or in free-standing cases – lighted, of course. Look for unique items of basketball memorabilia, baseball memorabilia and football memorabilia to give your man room that unmistakably masculine feel.

Home Theater Décor

Movie posters are the ideal decoration for a home theater room. Whether you’re a fan of vintage films or thoroughly modern movies, you’ll find a huge range of autographed and unsigned Hollywood memorabilia available for sale online and at auctions. Highlight a specific actor, character, director or film franchise for best effect. Among the contemporary favorites, you’ll find Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest posters and LOTR posters taking center stage.

Kids’ Rooms

How much will your son love a display of autographed sports memorabilia for his bedroom? You can make him the envy of all his friends with sports collectibles like a Yao Ming framed game jersey or a signed Kobe Bryant photo – authenticated, of course.

Kids’ Rooms Again

Why should sports fans have all the fun? Forget the cheap posters from the mall. Give your daughter something she’ll treasure forever – and that will gain value over the years. Find movie posters from all of her favorite movies and heart throbs to hang over her bed. From “The Hunger Games” to “Game of Thrones,” you’ll find Hollywood memorabilia from just about any movie you can name.

Don’t pass up that stunning piece of history just because you’re not sure where to put it. You can always find room for autographed sports memorabilia or movie memorabilia in your home.

Indulge Your Love of Hollywood with Movie Memorabilia

Hollywood memorabilia has always been popular with collectors, but the past few years have brought the popularity of movie memorabilia to new heights. The increasing prevalence of home theater rooms, with its attendant need for appropriate home theater décor, has sparked a new audience into the collector’s showrooms and auction halls to snap up movie posters, entertainment collectibles and other types of Hollywood memorabilia at a higher rate than ever.

If you’re collecting movie memorabilia out of love, the best acquisitions are those from a particular movie or movie franchise, or those that have been touched, signed or used by a favorite celebrity. If, on the other hand, you’re collecting Hollywood memorabilia for its monetary value, you might be interested in knowing which movies and stars generate the most popular entertainment collectibles.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley have been lighting up the big screen with their inimitable wit and style for a number of years now, and the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise is easily one of the most popular to come along in recent years. Movie posters and celebrity autographs from all of the Pirates movies are popular, but none so much as Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest. Signed movie posters from Pirates franchise are always sure winners, and look great as home theater décor.

Lord of the Rings

Not surprisingly, the most popular movies with collectors are those that are part of a franchise, and LOTR is no exception. LOTR movie posters, especially those that are signed by the entire cast, are big sellers in movie memorabilia auctions. They’re a great choice for home décor for fans of fantasy movies and J.R.R. Tolkien.

James Bond

The name is Bond, James Bond, and the value is top-notch. As one of the most popular character series of all times, James Bond movie memorabilia always sells well at auction. The most popular James Bond memorabilia tends to be framed displays that collect autographed photos and movie posters of several different actors who have played the role.

Star Wars Collectibles

No other movie franchise has spawned the sheer amount of movie memorabilia generated by the Star Wars franchise. As everyone’s favorite science fiction/fantasy movie series, Star Wars always makes collectors sit up and take notice. Among the most popular collectibles from the Star Wars franchise is an original Star Wars The Duel movie poster.

Choosing movie memorabilia for your home theater or family room is always a winning proposition. If you don’t have a particular favorite movie, look to the most popular entertainment collectibles to decorate the walls of your home theater.

Decorate Your Dorm Room with Movie Memorabilia

Looking for the ultimate ornamentation for your dorm room walls? Want to be the envy of everyone on the hall? You’ll have the ultimate pop culture reference when you decorate your dorm room with genuine movie memorabilia. Why settle for cheap prints from the mall when you can wow everyone with signed movie posters from some of the most popular movie franchises of the past fifty years? Here are some great reasons to invest in genuine movie memorabilia for your dorm room.

There’s Something for Everyone’s Tastes

No matter what your favorite genre is, you’ll find something to your taste among entertainment collectibles. Was your favorite toy a light sabre? Then you’ll want a signed Star Wars: The Duel poster featuring Luke facing off with the man who would be revealed as his father. Do you take your martinis shaken, not stirred? James Bond posters are among the most popular movie posters of all time. For lovers of high fantasy, there’s LOTR posters, and for those who can’t wait for Talk Like a Pirate Day, there’s a wide selection of Pirates of the Caribbean movie posters, including Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest autographed posters available for sale.

It’s Not Just Décor – It’s an Investment

Sure, real movie memorabilia costs more than a department store poster, but the department store poster won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on in five years. When you buy genuine movie memorabilia, it will hold its value – and has a good chance of increasing in value over the years.

It Can Be the Start of a Lifelong Hobby

Many people enjoy collecting celebrity autographs , movie posters, Hollywood memorabilia and other entertainment collectibles. If you start your collection now, you’ll have years of collecting fun ahead of you. Your early purchases can form the basis for a growing collection that will increase in value and enjoyment over the years to come.

You Can Take It With You

People might give you funny looks if they see you hanging up tattered posters from your college days in your first apartment, but when your movie posters are beautifully framed, authenticated Hollywood memorabilia, you’ll get nothing but admiring glances. The movie posters you buy for your college dorm room will find a wonderful home as home theater décor when you move on into adult life.

If movies and movie memorabilia aren’t your thing, you’ll also find an incredible selection of autographed sports memorabilia that will make your room the envy of every sports fan on the hall. No matter what your preference, authenticated entertainment memorabilia is more than just great décor – it’s a great investment.

Beyond Movie Memorabilia and Autographed Sports Memorabilia

Whether you’re looking for unusual memorabilia collectibles or searching for unusual ideas for a man cave, there’s a whole world of collectible items beyond the standard movie memorabilia and autographed sports memorabilia collections. Autographed posters from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest are great home theater décor, certainly, and when it comes to collectibles, sports memorabilia is definitely popular, but there are other types of entertainment collectibles that also make excellent choices when you’re looking for collectible home décor. Here are just a few ideas beyond the typical that you might incorporate into your own decorating schemes.

Horse Photos

When people think of sports memorabilia, they tend to gravitate toward baseball memorabilia, such as baseball cards, or basketball memorabilia, like autographed jerseys and basketballs. There are other sporting events that aren’t quite as visible, but still have a heavy following, such as horse racing. Photographs of Triple Crown winners are always popular collectibles, with Secretariat photos leading the way. You can even get celebrity autographs with your horse racing memorabilia – the most sought after horse photos are those signed by the jockey that rode the horse to victory.

Hollywood Memorabilia

The longest-running and most popular movie franchises have spawned some of the most popular movie memorabilia available. From a signed James Bond poster featuring the autographs of various actors who have portrayed the famous international spy to posters from the LOTR trilogy or a signed Star Wars poster, there are hundreds of choices to display your love of Hollywood. Beyond movie posters, however, you can look for home theater décor that includes celebrity autographs on collectibles or on their own photographs and on theater bills and other collectibles that were used on movie sets. The most popular movie memorabilia often includes autographed photographs with items that were used on set or with movie posters advertising LOTR, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and other popular movies.

Political Memorabilia

For some people, nothing is more entertaining than the world of politics, and there’s no doubt that our presidents are among the biggest celebrities on the world stage. Framed presidential memorabilia seldom commands the high prices realized by movie memorabilia and autographed sports memorabilia – which often makes political memorabilia a great entry point for beginning collectors. From framed, autographed photos of presidents to collections of campaign buttons in shadow box frames, presidential and political memorabilia can be a hot ticket item at auctions – and unusual accents in your home décor.

Choosing movie memorabilia, autographed sports memorabilia and other types of memorabilia for your home is easier when you rely on a trusted dealer. Always purchase your collectibles from a company you can trust to verify everything they sell.

Top Prices for Movie Memorabilia and Autographed Sports Memorabilia

If you’re just starting out collecting movie memorabilia or autographed sports memorabilia, the prices you see listed for items like Star Wars posters and autographed basketballs or baseball bats may come as a shock. Keep in mind that movie posters, movie memorabilia and sport memorabilia items have value in the eyes of collectors because they have a connection to famous people or to fond memories, and that the value of any piece of movie memorabilia or sports memorabilia is determined by what collectors are willing to pay to own a piece of movie or sports history. Just how high can those prices go? Take a look at some of the prices paid for movie posters, basketball memorabilia, baseball memorabilia and football memorabilia over the last few years for an idea of just how valuable your Hollywood collectibles and sport memorabilia can become.

Autographed Basketball Memorabilia

Signed basketballs, especially those used in a championship game, often command high prices at auction, but game jerseys are among the most popular autographed basketball memorabilia available today. How much can a game jersey command? According to Wikicollecting, a game jersey worn by Julius “Dr. J” Erving in the 1976 ABA All-Stars game fetched $188,321 in a 2007 auction and a Celtics home jersey worn by Bill Russell in a 1967-68 game – and signed by Bill Russell – brought in $65,000 in a 2008 auction.

Hollywood Memorabilia

Movie memorabilia fetches huge prices at auction, and highest prices often go to mementoes from popular film franchises, such as Star Wars movie posters and Pirates of the Caribbean Hollywood collectibles. The highest price paid for a piece of Star Wars movie memorabilia was $625,000 for the Panavision PSR 35mm camera used to shoot principle footage for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. That makes the price for an original Star Wars: The Duel poster seem like an absolute bargain.

Football Memorabilia

If you’re looking for bargain sport memorabilia, you can’t do better than starting a collection of football memorabilia. When you compare the prices paid for football collectibles to those paid for other sports memorabilia, it’s clear that autographed footballs, football helmets and game jerseys are highly undervalued. That’s changing rapidly, though, as American football becomes more popular throughout the world. The most expensive piece of football memorabilia ever sold is the plaster cast used to cast the first 40 Heisman Trophies. It sold at auction in 2008 for $89,625. Want to get in on the ground floor with football memorabilia? Check out the selection of autographed football jerseys and autographed footballs available through memorabilia dealers online.

Collecting movie memorabilia and autographed sports memorabilia is a growth industry – but it’s far more than that. It’s a fun and challenging hobby that can afford you hours and hours of fun.